SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College women's hockey team erased a 4-1 deficit with three goals in a 5:16 span, and first-year
Riley Walsh scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Dutchwomen capped off the largest comeback in program history with a 5-4 (OT) win over Dartmouth College on Saturday afternoon at Messa Rink.
The Dutchwomen earned their first ECAC Hockey conference win of the season with the huge comeback, the first time in the program's 24-year history that the team came back from three goals down to win.
Ten players registered a point in today's win. Walsh scored a goal and added two assists for three points, and junior
Celeste Beaudoin capped off her four-point weekend with two assists on two of Union's three power-play goals.
Senior
Emily King found the back of the net on consecutive power plays to push her season goal total to six. Sophomore
Maren Friday and first-year
Amanda Quan both found the back of the net as well. Sophomores
Maddie Suitor,
Paige Greco and
Emma Hebert, and first-year
Greta Kropp tallied assists.
Dartmouth dominated Union in a scoreless first period, outshooting the home team by a 15-7 margin. The Big Green opened the scoring just under two minutes into the the second period, when Jenna Donohue capitalized on a turnover and beat sophomore
Sophie Matsoukas over her glove. Union out-shot Dartmouth 7-6 in the frame, but trailed 1-0.
Following a late five-minute major at the end of the second stanza, Union was tasked with killing the penalty at the start of the third period but the Big Green scored twice on the major to jump out to a 3-0 lead just four minutes into the period.
The Dutchwomen scored their first goal of the game following a hooking call at 5:16 of the period. King won the faceoff and immediately scored just seven seconds into the power-play as Quan beat Emerson through a screen to cut the Big Green lead to two at 3-1. However, the Big Green regained their three-goal lead less than a minute later.
But Union wasn't done. King got the rally started for Union at the 8:11 mark of the period with the team's second power-play goal. Beaudoin hit a cutting King, who took a shot that was deflected by Walsh, and King crashed the net and was able to poke the puck past Emerson. This goal cut the Dartmouth lead to 4-2.
King scored her second goal of the period just four minutes later on the team's third power-play opportunity. Walsh swept the puck out of the pile up and found King open in the slot. King's shot went low blocker and squeaked through Emerson into the back of the net.
The Dutchwomen scored their third goal in a 5:16 span and erased the three-goal lead that Dartmouth had thanks to Friday. Kropp worked the puck out of the zone and found Greco, who carried the puck across the blue line into the offensive zone and drove to the net. Her initial shot was saved by Emerson, but Friday was standing left at the top of the crease and made sure to bury the loose puck into the open goal. Her first goal of the season tied the game and earned Kropp her first collegiate point with the assist. This tied the game at 4-4 with 6:33 to play in the third.
Neither team was able to break the tie in regulation and overtime was needed. Shots were tied 14-14 in the period.
In overtime, Union caught the Big Green in a change and Walsh had a break away from the red line off an outlet pass from Hebert. Walsh faked backhand and buried her forehand past the fully extended Dartmouth net minder. This was Walsh's fifth goal of the season and her first career game winning goal, as well as Union's first overtime winner since January 14, 2017, when Union beat Harvard 3-2 in Cambridge.
The Dutchwomen were outshot 35-29 in the game. Union was a perfect 3-for-3 on the power-play, and went 4-6 on the penalty kill. Matsoukas made 31 saves on 35 shots in the win. This win is Matsoukas' seventh career win and moved her to third on the all-time career wins list for Union.
The Dutchwomen and Big Green also made history this afternoon, as this game was the first game to feature two Black coaches behind the benches. Union's
Olivia Soares and Dartmouth's Nina Rodgers.
Union (4-5-1, 1-2-1) will continue their home stand has they welcome in RIT for a weekend series at Messa Rink on November 11 and 12. Friday's game is set to start at 3 p.m.
